Keywords

Grace, Charis, New Testament theology, Apostle Paul, Joseph Smith, Restoration, Covenants

Document Type

Article

Abstract

In New Testament times, the concept of grace (Greek charis) was operative in relationships in which a person giving something of value to another could expect the recipient to provide service, thanks, or something else of much lesser value in return. When the Apostle Paul described Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice as a gift (charis), his ancient audiences understood that redemptive act as initiating a covenantal bond with expectations of devoted discipleship. Bible translators have never properly conveyed Paul’s message of active, obliging grace, an oversight that some scholars of the New Pauline Perspective are now demonstrating. During the Great Apostasy, intellectuals distorted the concept of grace, characterizing it as a mystical feeling that guaranteed salvation with no strings attached. Restoration scripture and modern prophets have restored the active covenantal nuances of grace.